Fansided

Were the Toronto Maple Leafs Right to Sign John Tavares?

By Joseph Zita |
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 4: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Colorado Avalanche during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 4, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Avalanche defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 4: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Colorado Avalanche during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 4, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Avalanche defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have now played two seasons with John Tavares.

With John Tavares’ second year most likely finished if they don’t resume with the season before playoffs, I thought it’d be good to review his first two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and decide once and for all if they were right to sign him. 

On July 1, 2018 the news broke that big fish free agent John Tavares has agreed to terms on a contract with his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fast forward to April 2020 the end of the 2019-20 season and John Tavares just wrapped up his second year as a Maple Leaf (if indeed the season didn’t resume and the league went ahead to the playoffs immediately).

O’ Canada

I couldn’t have been more excited on July 1, 2018 when the news broke that Mississauga, Ontario native John Tavares had agreed to terms on a contract with his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tavares was 27 years old at the time signed the deal, but then turned 28 years old by the start of the 2018-19 season. John signed for seven years with an AAV of $11M and a NMC (no move clause) throughout the whole contract. (Stats from CapFriendly.com)

I think it’s safe to say it worked out pretty well.

Tavares Stats with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Through two seasons as a Toronto Maple Leaf John Tavares has been a great overall player for this team. His leadership, his experience, his skills, and his passion for the game all tie together and it’s something that is wonderful to see. (Stats from NHL.com)

Regular season stats…

2018-19 stats… 82 GP – 47 G – 41 A – 88 PTS 

2019-20 stats… 63 GP – 26 A – 34 A – 60 PTS

Overall stats… 145 GP – 73 G – 75 A – 148 PTS 

Playoff stats…

2018-19 stats… 7 GP – 2 G – 3 A – 5 PTS

2019-20 stats… TBD

Overall stats… 7 GP – 2 G – 3 A – 5 PTS

Over his two seasons with the Leafs, Tavares has a 53% Corsi.  With Tavares on the ice, the Leafs get 51% of the shots, 54% of the goals, 53% of the expected goals, and 55% of the scoring chances.  (Naturalstattrick.com).

These numbers are virtually identical to Auston Matthews’ numbers, and clear evidence that Tavares is among the NHL’s best players.

We’ve seen Tavares play alongside Mitch Marner for the majority of his two years in Toronto and those two have chemistry like no other. The 2018-19 season saw Tavares and Marner elevate each others game, Marner broke out and had a career year in goals, assists, and points (26 G – 68 A – 94 PTS).

Next. 5 Depth Free Agents the Leafs Should Focus On. dark

As well, John Tavares saw himself record a career high in goals and points (47 G – 88 PTS) he also recorded the most goals in one season as a Toronto Maple Leaf in quite some time. On top of that he did that in his first season on the team.

The signing couldn’t have worked out better so far.

Home / Analysis